Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Wooden door with a vertical crack

14 replies

Blankiefan · 31/05/2018 22:39

Our big arched (expensive to replace) front door has a crack down one panel. I'm planning to rub it down to repaint it anyway so am hoping to repair it.

I was thinking I'd use wood filler in the crack but wondered if there's some sort of sheeting I could cut to size (have cut to size) and stick over the front panel to strengthen it? I'm thinking of something like sticky back plastic - but obviously not sticky back plastic. Something I can paint over.

I really don't want to replace the door this year. (BTW, we also have an internal front door so it's about aesthetics and not security. A medium strength kick would undoubtedly go through it!)

OP posts:
PigletJohn · 01/06/2018 16:18

photo please

how old is the door and how many times has it been painted?

Filler will not cure it.

MikeUniformMike · 01/06/2018 17:43

Could it be reinforced from the inside or with a kick plate as a stop gap?
Would need to know what the door looks like.

Bigfathairyones · 01/06/2018 17:43

Watching with interest....I have the same in a large oak front door.

Blankiefan · 01/06/2018 18:06

I'd rather not "patch" it from the inside as it's stained inside rather than painted and is a nice feature of the door.

We've never painted it and I don't know if it's original door or not but the house is 90 years old so probably painted lots. Not in the last 20 years is imagine.

The crack is on the bottom left panel looking at the outside.

Wooden door with a vertical crack
Wooden door with a vertical crack
OP posts:
Blankiefan · 01/06/2018 18:06

This is the split

Wooden door with a vertical crack
OP posts:
MikeUniformMike · 01/06/2018 18:37

I would be reluctant to replace the door without trying to use an exterior wood filler. then painting the door.
It might be worth getting an expert's opinion.
It is a very attractive front door.

bionicnemonic · 01/06/2018 18:47

Lovely door.
Is it secure? There’s quite a gap in the middle and the panels look like they may not be that strong? Cosmetically flexible exterior filler then sanded and painted (work it into the crack not just layered on top) but is there room for another door inside (so like a porch inside) that can be locked?

Blankiefan · 01/06/2018 19:10

Yes - we have an internal door and an alarm. I suspect the front door pictured would give way with a well.placed shoulder but but it is a lovely feature.

OP posts:
PigletJohn · 01/06/2018 19:47

it appears to be a panelled door.

the way they work is that each of the pieces of wood it is made of will expand or contract individually (shrinking in summer when it dries out).

When it was new, each of the panels was fitted into grooves or slots in the timbers around it, and could move slightly within them. After fifty or so coats of paint, the paint gets into the joints and glues them together so they can no longer move and accommodate movement, so the wood cracks instead.

If you look closely at the edges of that panel, you will find there is a build-up of old paint. You may see that the paint has cracked in places where it has been unable to resist the movement of the wood. The trick is to break the bond this paint makes. A small, sharp triangular scraper, pulled down the joint, will crack away the paint and when it is gone you will be able to see the frame of stiles and rails, and the way panel fits into grooves. Timber expands and contracts across its width, not its length, so when it is restrained, these cracks will be parallel with the grain. The panels in your door are quite large, so they might be made from two (or more) pieces of wood jointed together, and the crack might be where one of these joints has opened up.

Once the paint preventing movement has been removed, you may be able to glue or fill the gap and paint over it. Only the thinnest amount of paint should be applied to the joints round the panel, to prevent it being glued rigid again. This will show less if the paint is somewhat similar to the colour of the wood, or if the door is stained.

In short, any rigid filler will crack again. If you use something elastic like a silicone rubber sealant, very thinly, it may be able to absorb the movement. If the crack is full of rigid filler or hard paint, it will push the two halves of the panel further apart in winter, when it becomes more humid and tries to close up, and the crack will be bigger the following summer. Painting in dark colours will make the cracks less obvious, but a wooden door exposed to summer sun should not be painted black, because it will absorb the sun's heat and get hotter, and drier, and will crack more.

Here endeth….

PigletJohn · 01/06/2018 19:51

names of the parts

Blankiefan · 01/06/2018 20:03

Thanks for the detailed advice pigletjohn. Feels like more than I can handle. I think we'll get someone in!!

OP posts:
trickyboots · 01/06/2018 20:14

Oh I have this at the moment with a very old and decorative front door. I'm sure it went back to normal in cooler weather. It looks a bit shit, but I think it's quite characterful and it's very very difficult to buy the same quality of door. If anyone knows any good suppliers of pre 1990s style quality please let me know.

PigletJohn · 01/06/2018 20:30

I suppose you could have the paint stripped off and oil the timber, but the age and the yellowish colour of the inside suggests it's some kind of pine, so not very durable.

Maybe a matt grainy finish would make the crack loos less prominent

Don't like the door handle. You need a knob.

Blankiefan · 01/06/2018 20:59

Hmmm - I was going to paint it black but love put , e off. Maybe an eggshell sage. And yes - all of the door furniture needs changed. Hadn't thought about a knobs but I'll ponder it.

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread